To Forgive and Let Live
by chaosangel13
Summary: Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-... Sakura scratched another tally of the dead pausing to watch the red eyed crow fly off The sky had been grey when he had been 'killed' by his little brother. Thinking about their fight reminded Itachi of his promise and duty


Recommended listening could be 'Skeletons by Bloc Party'. I listened to it while writing it or maybe the song 'Televators by The Mars Volta' The best band EVAR! So enjoy the ItaSaku!

* * *

Dark, inky black crows perched along the gates eyeing the bodies covered by individual wrapped sheets below, their names written in black in on the soles of their feet. Sakura was standing between the aisles of bodies counting the people who had been crushed by buildings, caught in the crossfire of battle and the ones to far gone to be saved by Tsunade. Adding thirty more tallies to the growing list she looked to the gates where a flock of black crows sat staring with their shiny black eyes. She saw a few scatter as a rock was tossed up at them, children below laughed in the silence before digging in the rubble for more rocks. Their angry caws rang sharply slicing through the depressing silence of the aftermath, Sakura frowned as on of the boys fell among the concrete mess skinning his knee. She heard all the crows caw in unison as if they were laughing at boy who had thrown rocks at them. Sakura walked over the concrete and wooden pieces, she healed him while scolding him softly.

"Instead of throwing rocks go help the workers, bring them water. The whole village could use your help".

The boy nodded smiling slightly seeing Sakura's reasoning. Once she was done he ran back to his friends telling them what Sakura said before they all ran off excited to be giving some responsibility. Smiling she went back to her tally marks and field of white sheets with the overwhelming silence that echoed all around her. Scratching her pen into the pad of paper, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-se-.

Sitting on the stomach of a dead cold body, the stark contrast between the two was eerie with its bright ruby red eyes that looked right at her. For a while with her clipboard and pen, the crow staring at her in the strangest of ways spooked her slightly.

"Shoo!" Sakura waved her clipboard at it, hoping for it to fly of with its red eyes away from her. It stayed with it's impassive face, hopping closer to her now on the body's lower stomach she waved her clipboard again. Just as she was about to ignore the bird and continue counting.

"Sakura-san". A white cloaked ANBU with it's pale mask painted in a bright red in the pattern of a hawk.

"Yes". The sky was a myriad of greys, the sun hidden behind a thick cumulus cloud. The wind blew dark green leaves across the matted dirt ground from years of ninja and civilians alike that had walked across it's surface years ago.

"You will soon be relieved of your duties, once relieved you will head to the hospital zone to take care of the wounded". The slight baritone voice hinted that it was a man speaking devoid of all emotion and dulled by his mask that hid his identity.

"Who will take my place?" Someone had to keep counting on, to keep counting the bodies laid out in rows hidden from the buildings by the large piles of broken concrete, almost like a mass grave.

"I do not know their name, but they shall be here shortly till then keep counting. After that head to the hospital zone".

"I understand"

The ANBU left quickly there one moment gone the next. Sakura noticed the crow had remained there watching the whole time, not even trying to get to the meat beneath its feet. Picking up a cold chipped rock she tossed it toward the crows direction it only hopped before looking at her once more. With a soft caw it flew off as she watched it glide over the gates and disappear into the dark green trees. Rearranging the clipboard in the crook of her arm and clicking the pen back into use.

Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-...

* * *

He flew through the trees leaving nothing but a shadow trailing behind him. Eyes focused on the ground searching for a body left behind for him to become the host of, staying any longer in this crow body would keep from leaving it ever. He could already feel the hold to stay in this body, his eyes had changed to red signifying he would soon be stuck. He couldn't waste another day watching the girl, flying past a large oak tree he saw the legs of a man leaning against the trees large trunk. Swooping down in front of the man he saw that three senbon were stuck in various places on the mans chest. He surveyed the body, the skin was very pallid in hue, the man's hair was black falling only to his shoulders. The man was a shinobi with lean muscle and strong legs. The animals had not gotten to him yet, clutched in his hand was a picture of his parents maybe. The man sitting against the tree was just a young boy smiling brightly with both of parents with great expressions of pride. The shiny new headband gleaming in the sun, Itachi scoffed at the happiness in the picture.

Hopping onto the man's chest he pulled the steel senbon out with his black beak. It was hard to get a grip with his beak but it worked after what seemed like hours. Tossing the senbon onto the ground, before touching his feathered wing onto the wound Itachi focused his chakra and healed as much as he could without tiring out. He was only knowledgeable in very minor healing jutsus; in the Akatsuki you needed to be able to heal yourself even if it was only a little bit, especially with Kakuzu as the medic. Itachi had to repeat the painstakingly slow process two more times to have the body in it's prime condition. He estimated once he got in the body he could make it to the gates and possibly farther. Preparing himself, he touched foreheads with the man ahead of him closing his glassy red eyes. Channeling his chakra for moments before he could feel his soul leave the crows body he could feel the sir flow through him, every breeze and felt every sense on his body tingle. He could not get distracted while swapping or he could be swept away by the current of the wind. The whole world was hidden by a thin fog he could sense the outline of trees and the bodies below. He drifted toward the empty vessel of the man below, relaxing his soul as he slid inside the skull of the man soaking into the brain feeling each fiber slowly take control of the nerves.

At first there was nothing, then a sharp pain in his left lung cavity. The pain grew to a crescendo of high heights before it released like a popped bubble of relief and it slowly wash over his muscles. The tension oozed out of his pores and away from his body; coming back to life had hurt less than he had expected. He was only a concious mind right now though, he could feel the blood pumping around his skull before he began to feel it extend to his toes which ached from the slow pumping of stale blood. His mouth was stiff and stuck before it wrenched open in pain drinking in gulps of air, burning his lungs that had been useless for days or more were once again pumping in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. He felt his right shoulder slam into the ground the mud and grass hardly cushioning the blow; the fall had created a small spasm in his heart that knocked the wind out of him. Pushing his elbows into the ground he tried to sit up but crumbled back to the ground gagging violently spitting up all the bile that had been lying deep in the dead man's throat. Once he stopped gagging he gave it another try moving much more slowly giving the body time to adjust to the movement that had been out of use for so long. He opened his eyes slowly once he was standing against the oak as a support for his weak body. There was a bright flash of light that blinded him causing tears to build up; the light faded from the outer corners spreading slowly to the center. He could see all the shades of green in the leaves and it was so beautiful, the leaves and the grey sky filled him with sorrow and hope.

The sky had been grey when he had been 'killed' by his little brother. Thinking about their fight reminded Itachi of his promise and duty and he stumbled to the pink haired females front door.

* * *

The west side of the hospital had remained unscathed in the attack, luckily enough for her, her office was located on the west side. Sitting in her wooden chair with her neck leaned back exposing her throat. Bright emerald eyes looked at her window of her office, grey light filtering in through the thin cracks of the blinds. It was silence in the room opposed to the sobs that slipped under the edge of her door settling up high and slowly fell to ground leaving a thick layer of sadness all around. Sakura loudly sighed, something to break this silence, she was physically exhausted from using to much chakra and now it was below the normal levels. Leaning forehead to rest it onto the wooden desk her pink hair creating a curtain of shade for her eyes, though the grey light filtered through the strands of hair illuminating her bright green eyes.

_flashback start_

A mother had brought in a young child cradled in her arms, Sakura could already tell the boy was long since dead. A nurse headed toward the woman to break the news to her. Sakura interrupted the nurse.

"I'll take care of it. Let me see the boy" The mother handed over the boy with tears still streaming down her face, eyes red and puffy.

"Sakura-san" The nurse had a look of extreme worry on her face.

"It'll be alright, you go help someone else". Sakura carried the boy to a secluded area with the mother trailing behind. Sakura looked at the boys pale skin and brown hair. It fell over his closed eyes in tufts, she placed him on a gurney in the hallway. Using her chakra to probe the boys chest, she could see all the dust in his lungs. He had died from suffocation, a painful and slow way of dying. There were cuts on his face Sakura took the time to heal them all brushing the boys hair out of his face.

"Doctor? Is he okay?" Sakura could hear the pure panic in her voice and she could feel wetness trailing down her cheeks. Lowering her head in a solemn sadness, Sakura shook her head no. The women began screaming and begging for her baby to come back to her and Sakura stepped back and watched the mother and son with blurry eyes.

_flashback end_

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted by two quick knocks at the door, standing up from her chair slipping her white lab coat back on. Her knees trembled for a moment but then she regained herself.

"Come in". The door opened to a nurse in a pair of lavender scrubs. Sakura could see the bags under the nurses eyes, a deep purple blue.

"Sakura-san Shizune called saying you could go home until your chakra levels were up". Sakura looked at the young nurse again those bags made her feel guilty, she didn't need time off all she needed was a power bar and a soldier pill.

"No, you and Azumi-san should go rest, I'm not all that tired there still more work I can do".

"But Sakura-san, I'm al-"

"If you want to argue then at least please go get me some food and then you'll clock out, understand?" The nurse smiled and nodded, the nurses had grown used to Sakura's personality. To any other person she would come off as sharp but, they understood that there was kindness in her heart.

"Understood Sakura-san!" She watched the nurse shut the door and could hear her yell for Azumi and their good luck. Sakura chuckled softly, heading to her door opening it slowly and there was a sound of squeaking hinges. Looking at the hinges Sakura remembered she had been meaning to fix it for weeks, she puts it in her memory to fix them soon.

* * *

He had reached the back streets of the village through a hole in the gates that wasn't guarded at the time, his left shoulder kept slamming into buildings nearby as a hold for his weak legs. His vision was beginning to get darker, he had hoped he would at least be able to make it near her home. Slipping through an alley he stumbled slowly keeping his footing the best he could, his stomach was growling. This body felt very strange, he had expected as much it was nothing like his old one. Leaning on the edge of the alley looking out to the street shakily he touched his hair. It was thinner than his old hair and he could see the hair turner a darker shade of brown, soon it would be black and the length had increased by an inch. His soul was beginning to make the changes on this new body of his.

Itachi smiled, he would live once again and to never see his brother again. He had made a sacrifice to awaken his brothers clouded eyes and now he could live in peace. He could go on his life but, he would never be able to let go of the principles that had been hammered into him as a child of the Uchiha clan. He considered Sasuke lucky in this way, he pitied his brother for being so consumed by hate that he missed the people who had cared most about him. Exiting the alleyway he headed to the left down the street, he coughed harshly his lungs hurting. His eyes bleary, he saw a shock of pink enter his field of vision and he called out.

"Sak-Help" His voice sounded as though he hadn't drinking water in years, as though sand would puff out in clouds from his mouth. As he collapesed to the ground a young woman with pretty pink hair was holding his head up yelling softly.

"You need to stay awake! Will you let me help you?"

"I... tell...som-...yes" He ended the broken sentence with a sigh before his vision went completely black and he felt himself being lifted up under his arms and knees. Chuckling to himself.

'pathetic'

* * *

Okay so I haven't don an ItaSaku in a long time, so it's like I'm 'heading back to my roots'. lol. Anywho it came to me in like a flash of lightning, I was sitting in class listening but not paying attention then all the sudden pop! SOOO I started writing it down. I want this to be about four chapters long and hopefully I'll make it that far! XD I'm bad at doing chapters. So I hope you all enjoy! As always

Rate and Review!


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